Hearth & Home
by Milesperhour
Summary: It's simultaneously Etcetera's 16th and 18th birthday. She has a hundred questions on her mind, but the most burning question surrounds her blossoming attachment to Rumpleteazer. Expect drama, angst and a healthy dosing of humour.
1. The Party

**Note:** Expect the usual brand of comedy and angst. Special thanks to **pouncii **for her endless support and regular stream of ingenious ideas, and if you haven't already, I highly recommend reading **Wicked Games** (after you're done here, of course). Rated T for reasons.

–

It was simultaneously Etcetera's sixteenth and eighteenth birthday.

That may be quite a strange thing to explain.

Of course it could not technically be _both_ her sixteenth and eighteenth birthday. Yet nobody could be quite sure which one it was, so they had settled on simply celebrating both at once and leaving it at that. The fact that nobody seemed to care enough to keep track of Etcetera's age as she grew up was not something new to her, nor something that surprised her.

And it was not something she could blame them for, either.

Etcetera, like many others, did not know her parents. The Jellicles had accepted so many kittens into their tribe that parentage had never been an issue to the majority of the tribe. And considering that Jennyanydots and Jellylorum acted as maternal figures to many of the kittens, they could hardly be expected to keep track of everyone's specific age, could they?

Was it particularly _fair _that Etectera was more or less the only cat whose age remained a mystery? Not really, but then there was nothing to be done about it. Jennyanydots was sure that Etcetera was sixteen, and Jellylorum was sure that Etcetera was eighteen. This had been going on ever since Etcetera's joint tenth and twelfth birthday. Six years of being two ages. This was what she had to put up with.

So on the evening of her latest birthday(s), Etcetera accepted that she was either sixteen or eighteen. Fine. That was just _fine_. There was a small gathering for her, even a few gifts from some of her friends. Not that anyone was what she would describe as a 'close' friend. Nor a 'best' friend. Just friends.

The real question that was beginning to bore into Etcetera's mind was what her 'thing' was going to be. And that is why, on Etcetera's birthday, she took it upon herself to talk to those cats in the tribe that had quite defined 'things'.

Skimbleshanks, for example, was the _Railway _cat. That was his thing. He loved trains, everyone knew he loved trains and he could not stop talking about trains. Sometimes scotch. Usually trains.

"Wee lass, happy birthday to ye." Skimbleshanks spoke with a wide grin, offering Etcetera a hug which she dutifully accepted. "Are you eighteen now?"

Etcetera smiled and shook her head. "I could be sixteen still, I dunno." She folded her arms, feeling a slight chill in the evening air. The sun was beginning to set and the Jellicles were all beginning to make their way into the middle of the Junkyard to give Etcetera some well-wishes. "I was wondering – when did you know you were the _train _cat- I mean, trains. No. Uhm, railways-" She blushed and covered her face with her paws.

"Ach, you're haivering like me after my third drop of scotch!" Skimbleshanks laughed as he patted her on the shoulder. "I always knew I loved trains. I've been telling conductors how to do their job since I was a wee kitten! But what you got to remember lass, is life... life is like a railway. Some cats are like those trains you hear about in Japan, the fast ones that fly like bullets from a gun! And some cats like your ol' uncle Skimble are like steam engines. Sure, we aren't fast like those new-fangled machines they've got over in the Orient, but we've got character and charm and we..."

See? _Skimbleshanks could not stop talking about trains._ After a little while, Etcetera realised that she really did not understand the Railway Cat at all, and found herself no closer to knowing anything than when she started. Though Skimbleshanks did offer her a small glass of scotch as a present, which she hesitantly consumed. Skimbleshanks claimed it tasted of the cherry-oak interior of an original 1923 steam locomotive. Etcetera thought it tasted of ash.

She swiftly moved on to receive well-wishes from other cats in the community. As the night progressed, Etcetera found herself embroiled in conversation with all manner of cats. The great Bustopher Jones brought her a wonderful gift of a birthday meal, comprised of cabbage, rice pudding and mutton. Suffice to say, Etcetera did not look 'full of gloom' after that. Yet no matter what she asked him, she could not find any answer to how he became the _Cat About Town_. He simply was.

Etcetera spoke to the _magical _Mr. Mistoffelees, though once again that proved to bring her no closer to understanding how he became 'magical'. He felt it was something inherent, and offered her sage advice by suggesting that her 'thing' did not matter. But then again, as far as Etcetera was concerned, it really did. Mistoffelees was not to know that Etcetera wanted something to describe herself so badly that she was beginning to get depressed.

Everyone had something, as far as she could tell. Jennyanydots was the _Gumbie _cat. Gus was the _Theatre _cat. Even Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were a _notorious _couple of cats.

Etcetera did not have an adjective to describe herself. She had tried a few times to get noticed, but the only thing that had ever worked was screaming at the top of her lungs when near the Rum Tum Tugger. And even that was hardly a 'thing'. She did not want to be the _groupie _cat, and had since stopped being quite so over-excited when around Tugger.

As far as Etcetera was concerned, whenever she looked in the mirror all she saw was Etcetera: The _Nobody _Cat.

She had friends, though she could hardly call any of them 'close' friends, let alone _best _friends. Just friends. Lots of 'just friends'. This had begun to bother her. Victoria and Mistoffelees seemed to be _best _friends. There were so many cats that just 'went together', like Pouncival and Tumblebrutus, Tantomile and Coricopat, Demeter and Bombalurina... the list went on. Sure, some of those were siblings, but it did not change the fact that Etcetera wanted that kind of closeness in her life. She wanted someone whose name immediately followed hers.

For a long, long time, Etcetera had truly believed that the Rum Tum Tugger would be the cat everyone associated with her. But that was not how things had turned out, instead she had simply become the cat that endlessly bothered him and got nothing in return. She was tired of 'nothing in return', especially after it had worked so awfully to her detriment.

A few months earlier, Etcetera had almost completely gotten away from her attachment to Tugger and even had a brief 'thing' with Pouncival. The problem? In a strange moment of jealousy, Tugger had convinced her to stop hanging out with Pouncival. As it turned out, the moment she obediently followed Tugger's orders, he completely lost interest in her again. She found herself unable to convince either tom to find her interesting again and suddenly she went from having two cats liking her to no cats liking her. That was a decision that kept her awake at night.

Pouncival still wanted to be friends, of course, but he had moved on. He wanted to be friends like everyone wanted to be friends. Nobody wanted to be _best _friends.

After all, who would want to be best friends with _T__he __N__obody __C__at_?

Certainly, Etcetera's parents had not been interested in continuing their relationship with her past childbirth. She had been found as a tiny kitten, alone in a box in an alleyway, shivering and crying. Jellylorum once told Etcetera that she had no parents because she was an unwanted kitten. Unwanted. It was relatively common in the Junkyard, many of the cats there did not know their parents, but that fact did not make it any easier. Those who _did _know their parents seemed so much happier to Etcetera. She wanted parents. She wanted someone to tuck her in at night who truly loved her.

Not the kind of love that Jennyanydots or Jellylorum showed her. They were two cats that spent most of their time looking after the various kittens and teaching them good values, letting them know they were loved. It was a generic love. It was not a bespoke love. Not the specific, unique, individual love that Etcetera yearned for.

It was hard for the queen to really describe her feelings. She did not even truly know her age; as noted before, Jellylorum was certain that Etcetera was 16 whilst Jennyanydots was equally certain that Etcetera was 18. Or was it the other way around? Either way, the arbitrary date on the calendar that had been prescribed as her 'birthday' had been fast approaching for a while – May 15th. The day that Etcetera became the first Jellicle in history to simultaneously celebrate both her sixteenth _and _eighteenth birthdays at once. Of course, she had been the first Jellicle in history to celebrate her tenth and twelfth birthdays at once, her eleventh and thirteenth birthdays at once, her twelfth and fourteenth birthdays at once...

"Happy Birthday, young soldier." Munkustrap chuckled as he placed his paw on Etcetera's shoulder. It had been a long day for her, she had spoken to almost every cat in the tribe. Only a few had not managed to see her, one of which being the protector himself. "You are now literally eighteen. Well done. I'm impressed."

"Yup..." Etcetera shrugged away the fact that nobody seemed capable of remembering that she might actually be sixteen, and glanced at the paw on her shoulder. "Are you hitting on me? Because, y'know, I wouldn't say 'no'..." She laughed and Munkustrap almost immediately withdrew his paw.

"Don't be a child." He snapped, folding his arms. "Especially now that you're eighteen - in which case, I have a wonderful present for you... you get to start contributing to the tribe! Hooray!" Munkustrap grinned a beaming smile and unfolded his arms to give Etcetera two thumbs-up.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh my _days_, Munkustrap. I was warned about this."

"Warned about what?" Munkustrap's tone was infectiously upbeat. He appeared very positive, holding himself in a manner that reflected his patter. "Finally, Etcetera, you get to be a _big _part of this tribe! I am going to go back to my den, have a long think, and return to you tomorrow with a whole list of things you can do – oh wait, _I did that already_."

Munkustrap produced a sheet of paper from behind his back. It was rolled up and tied together with a bow, giving it the appearance of a scroll. "Like I said, happy birthday!" He handed the paper to Etcetera, who begrudgingly accepted and opened it up.

The paper was complicated. It contained around twenty different roles and duties that Munkustrap felt could help or otherwise improve the tribe – 'nightwatchcat', 'den fixer-upper' and the ominously-named 'Jennyanydots assistant' were the top three. Etcetera had only read half of the duties before Munkustrap spoke again, interrupting her dumbfounded silence.

"Etcetera. There is literally nothing that would please me more than to listen to you think. However, I have about a billion things I have to do before I go to bed, including run a short half-marathon to keep up my stamina. Anyway, have fun with the list, decide on something you like, and tomorrow you can come see me to talk about it! Et-ceter-ceter-ceter-rah! See you tomorrow!"

And with that, he was off.

As Etcetera watched Munkustrap jog away, she considered that he was far more odd than she had ever given him credit for. She inwardly sighed, the day was almost over. A few more cats came to give Etcetera some gifts before the night-time air got too cold (it was Winter, after all), which included a particularly bizarre gift from Coricopat – a Corico Pat. As he explained numerous times, a 'Corico Pat', is a high-five from Coricopat. He claimed they were incredibly rare, but then immediately offered one to Tantomile, who rolled her eyes and gave Etcetera a hug.

Etcetera immediately took back all the things she had thought about Munkustrap being weird. If he was a bit strange, the Twins were beyond mad. Still, a high-five (sorry, 'Corico Pat') and a hug were better than nothing and she was grateful to receive all well-wishes. By the time most of the tribe had retreated to their dens, Etcetera caught herself acting strangely too.

Sat on the tyre in the middle of the Junkyard, Etcetera looked up at the night sky and wondered what she had been expecting to happen today. She was either 16 or 18-years-old, she reckoned that meant there was a fifty-fifty chance that she was now an adult... and yet the answers to the questions on her mind where not forthcoming. No big solution, no higher plan. Just plain old Etcetera, one step closer to death.

She made a mental note to stop being quite so dramatic.

With a big stretch, Etcetera sat up and got to her feet, giving the Junkyard one last survey before heading back to her den. It was nothing much, she hardly spent any time there. Certainly she never had any visitors, and the tiny bed in her tiny den was only just about big enough for her.

So one can only imagine the surprise that rocketed through Etcetera's mind when she entered her den to find a queen sat cross-legged on her bed – Rumpleteazer.

"Happy birthday!" The intruder exclaimed with a loud voice, jumping to her feet. "Sorry for just coming in here like whatever, but you were being all mopey on that tyre and I figured I'd just wait for you somewhere warm. That's okay, right? I'm really good at opening locks."

Etcetera had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming.

"I mean, I didn't break your lock or anything, I just opened it because I'm really good at that, that's like my thing or whatever," Rumpleteazer continued. "So I've just been sat here with your present, waitin' for you to rock on by. You have no idea how bored I am! You don't even have anythingin here I'd want to steal and my kleptomania is driving me _crazy_!"

Etcetera did not laugh.

"Okay, uhm, that was a joke, and you haven't said anything yet." Rumpleteazer spoke to the silent cat opposite her.

Etcetera stared for a moment, her mouth agape. It took a little while for the words to formulate properly, but eventually when she did speak, it was something along the lines of: "Nobody ever comes in here ever..."

"Oh my gosh Et-cet-trah take the darn present, and have a happy sixteenth-eighteenth birthday already!" Rumpleteazer repeated in her broad London accent, holding out the gift once again.

Just when Etcetera was convinced that this day could not get anymore confusing.


	2. The After-Party

"You remembered." Etcetera said with a look of absolute shock on her face after the words eventually registered. This, of course, seemed very strange to Rumpleteazer, who gave Etcetera a raised eyebrow as she stepped closer to hand over the gift.

"Of course I remembered." Rumpleteazer said simply. "I mean, I told you earlier, didn't I? Like, how it's your birthday? And then there's the fact that I'm _literally right now _giving you the thing I got you I mean _seriously_, Et-ceh-trah_._" She held the present in her paws, obscuring it between them as she offered it to Etcetera. Whatever it was, it was small.

"No, I mean you... wait..." Etcetera looked at Rumpleteazer's closed paws, now even more confused about what the other queen could possibly have gotten her. "No, I... augh, _you _remembered it's two birthdays I'm having today. Everyone else just thinks I'm eighteen but you remembered it's both. I know that's really weird and stupid and stuff but I can't believe anyone pays enough attention to me to even possibly realise that."

"Okay, okay, stop teasing me." Rumpleteazer stuck out her tongue at Etcetera, assuming her words were loaded with playfulness rather than brutal honesty. "Now shut your eyes and hold out your paws, okay?" With those words, Rumpleteazer placed the small object into Etcetera's outstretched paws and took a small step back. "Happy sixteenth-eighteenth birthday! You're both today! Woo!"

Etcetera managed to stifle a small laugh as she slowly opened her eyes. "You got _me _something? I mean loads of cats didn't get me anything Coricopat gave me a high-five but that's okay because I'm nobody, you really shouldn't... _oh my God it's sparkly_." It was. The moment Etcetera's eyes were wide open, she could properly look at the gift.

"It's a necklace." Rumpleteazer beamed. It was quite different to the pearl necklace around her own neck – this one was made from a long black string, with a shiny pendant at the end. To a human the pendant would have been tiny, but to a cat it was the perfect size. It should perhaps also be noted that the pendant rather oddly took the shape of a dragon. "Do you like dragons?" Rumpleteazer asked with a smile. "You look like someone who likes dragons. I feel like that's you."

"I now literally _adore _dragons." Etcetera grinned widely as she examined it in her paws. It looked amazing. The pendant was a shiny metallic silver, though it was very light. It fit comfortably in her paw, which was rather odd. There would be basically no human use for this, which suggested it had been made by a cat. Unusual, to say the least. "Can you put it on me?" Etcetera asked briskly, pressing it into Rumpleteazer's paws again. That was not a request.

Rumpleteazer laughed and did as she was asked, stepping toe-to-toe with Etcetera and reaching forward to tie the necklace around her neck. Etcetera felt slightly awkward from the sudden close proximity that she was in no way used to, and in a moment of confusion spoke: "You would look amazing with long hair."

"Oh really?" Rumpleteazer replied as she began to tie the necklace up, standing rather incredibly close. Her arms rested lightly around Etcetera's neck in what was an odd simulation of a hug, which only caused Etcetera to feel a blush of heat pour down her body at the unspoken intimacy. She had never hugged someone in her own den before. Etcetera genuinely could not remember the last time another cat was even in her den, let alone a moment of closeness like this.

"Yeah, long hair." She mustered despite the waterfall of thoughts that rushed inside her head. "Uhm... I could imagine you with long hair, you'd be really pretty with-"

"You mean I'm not really pretty right now? How rude." Rumpleteazer smirked as she finished tying the final bow, leaning past Etcetera's shoulder to make sure it was tied correctly – but that movement proved to be a catalyst.

Etcetera completely misunderstood, wrapped her arms tightly around Rumpleteazer and hugged.

Rumpleteazer knew almost immediately that it was not a normal hug. Etcetera's embrace was like a snap decision in its spontaneity and a vice-grip in its tightness. A few things began to add up in Rumpleteazer's mind – the small den and single bed, for example – and she decided that the best thing to do would be to allow the tied-up necklace to rest on Etcetera's neck, drop her arms to her waist and simply hug back.

It was a very quiet moment shared between the two queens. Neither said anything, and neither knew what would make sense to say. As surprised as Rumpleteazer was by the hug, Etcetera was dumbfounded. But the words fell out of her mouth faster than she could stop them, and without any warning there was no going back. "I'm sorry... I just didn't think I'd ever get another chance to hug someone in my den." She said quietly, though the flush of embarrassment that followed her ridiculous words immediately made her regret them.

Rumpleteazer made a face and patted Etcetera on the back before breaking the hug. "Tough day." She said quickly, as though that was a reasonable excuse and they could both pretend that never happened. "Well... anyway. Look at the necklace! What a helpful distraction!" The awkwardness was unsettling.

Etcetera laughed nervously and touched the necklace, which made her feel good about herself despite the way she had shown her appreciation. But in regards to this day as a whole, all of the problems and worries and fears – this made up for it, this felt as if she was on the right path.

Rumpleteazer smiled and paused awkwardly, half-glancing at the door and then back at the queen opposite her. Everything had suddenly become rather strange, with another moment of silence falling as their conversation stuttered.

"Okay." Etcetera said with a deep breath. "If you're thinking about going, that's cool, but maybe I should just say some words first because you don't know how much I appreciate this."

Rumpleteazer laughed. "Oh, I feel like that weird hug thing we just did gives me some idea. But seriously, it's just a necklace-"

"Okay, actually, shut up though." Etcetera had a half-smirk that tried to obscure the very serious look on her face. "You're like... I don't know what's going on right now but you're like the only cat who remembered I've got two birthdays. Everyone else was all like, 'oh, happy eighteenth' or whatever, then you rock up and actually remember something about me like you even care, and then you gave me the best present I've ever got in my whole life and seriously I don't know what this is about or anything but I really feel like you should-"

"_Dude_." Rumpleteazer reached forward and grabbed Etcetera's shoulders, effectively silencing her with the shock of physical contact again. She stifled a giggle at the ridiculousness of it all and glanced at the closed door, then back to the queen she was shushing. "Why d'you think I made you that necklace?" She said with a warm smile, her paws lazily tracing down Etcetera's arms. "You're kinda _pretty_. And by 'kinda', I mean, 'super'."

Etcetera, completely dumbfounded by the words that had just been spoken at her, managed to say absolutely nothing. She stared at Rumpleteazer as though she had just solved an unsolvable mystery, a kind of amazement and utter shock at those words. Nobody had ever told her that before. Not in that way. Not with that kind of loaded meaning.

Rumpleteazer naturally did not know how to respond to silence, and half-worried that this was a kind of silent rejection, she offered an idea.

"Come round mine tomorrow." She grinned nervously and made an awkward nod, withdrawing her paws from Etcetera's arms. "I'm, uhm... We could do things. I didn't think this through very well... honestly, I only got as far as giving you the present... every time I thought about it, I'd give you the present and we'd be kissing by now." A look of abhorrent shock covered Rumpleteazer's face as a result of her own words, which she quickly covered with her paws before turning for the door.

Etcetera took a step forward and grabbed Rumpleteazer's arm, which truthfully only created a moment of further awkwardness. But this time she managed to say something, simply offering: "You _made _this necklace?"

Rumpleteazer was lost for words, she really did not know how to respond to that statement. Fortunately, she did not need to.

"And you think _I'm _pretty? Me? Have you even seen _me_?" It was like Etcetera was hearing everything on delay, only able to process the meaning behind those words a minute after they had been said.

Rumpleteazer felt herself blush and glanced to the side. "Just... just come round tomorrow, okay?"

Etcetera silently nodded and that was that – Rumpleteazer very quickly took the opportunity to leave the den and get out of there.

It was a few minutes after she had left that Etcetera processed the other things she had said, and lost in her own thoughts felt another word leave her mouth:

"...kissing?"

A few hours later, Etcetera was wide awake. Lying on her tiny bed, staring at the roof of her tiny den, she considered exactly why she could not sleep. Endlessly thinking about what tomorrow might bring, she made a loud yawn and promised herself that this was going to be a new day for her. No more _nobody _cat. Now she had a dragon necklace. Now she was going to be Etcetera: The _Dragon _Cat.

That was still _kind of _stupid, but at least it was a start.


	3. Etcetera & Rumpleteazer

**Thanks for reading and reviewing, please keep them coming!**

**NB: This chapter contains a couple of (warranted) swears.**

* * *

><p>A new dawn, a new day.<p>

Well, dawn was perhaps being a little overzealous. This was more like mid-afternoon, but if you can't oversleep the day after your birthday, when can you?

Etcetera left her den with the kind of urgency usually reserved for a crisis, which in her mind this most certainly was. She had promised to visit Rumpleteazer today, yet her inability to sleep the night before had cruelly meant that when slumber finally came, it took an absolute age for it to end. In short, Etcetera was worried that she might be late. It was winter – the sun set so early that it was already getting slightly dark. If it wasn't tomorrow anymore, did that mean she missed her chance?

Etcetera considered how little sense that made, then resigned to stop obsessing over this. It'll be fine, she told herself. This will be fine.

"Hey, eighteen-year-old!" Munkustrap exclaimed as he clapped his paw on Etcetera's shoulder, stopping her dead in her tracks. "How are you on this incredible morning, or should I say, evening?"

Etcetera rolled her eyes and turned around to face Munkustrap. "Uhm, it's possible I'm actually sixteen, so-"

"That's as may be." Munkustrap stated as he released her. "But I have literally... been up all night – waiting to hear what you want to do to help out the tribe." He beamed and gave Etcetera a double thumbs-up.

"Oh, right... your list terrified me so I haven't really thought about it much yet-"

"Nonsense! My list is anything but terrifying. In fact, it is literally the greatest list I have ever made."

"Please stop."

"No."

Etcetera sighed as she glanced to the floor, then back up at Munkustrap. "I really need to get somewhere right now, so could I please just go?"

"Hey, that's completely fine." Munkustrap nodded as he stepped out of Etcetera's way. "But if I may say, while you literally look incredible, perhaps you might brush your fur. Because you literally look like you have been asleep forever."

Etcetera glared at Munkustrap. "That is not helpful."

"Then I will be helpful!" Munkustrap chirped. He dragged his claws swiftly through Etcetera's headfur, making it substantially less ridiculous. "See, this is helpful. Hey, maybe you could be the tribe's new hairdresser. This seems like a useful public service."

Etcetera rolled her eyes as she endured the humiliation of having her fur fixed in public. "Or, maybe I could just curl up into a ball and die?"

"No, I do not think that would be particularly useful." Munkustrap finished and took a step back. "Perfect. Etcetera, you look literally incredible."

"Maybe you should be the tribe's new hairdresser." The queen mumbled as she stepped away from Munkustrap and turned to briskly walk the few more paces towards Rumpleteazer's den. She did not notice the beaming grin that appeared on Munkustrap's face at those words, nor his immediate dash to another nearby cat to fix their hair as well. If she had done, Etcetera would surely have rolled her eyes again. She rapped her knuckles on the door, knocking three times before it swung open.

It took Rumpleteazer approximately three seconds to open the door. She stood in the doorway, a beaming grin on her face, a mug in her paws. "Hi Etch-cetch-ra." She said quickly as a fresh batch of nerves appeared in the pit of her stomach. "I made you this."

Etcetera looked at the mug that was being offered to her. "I- what?" She managed to say before having the cup forced into her paws. Its warmth countered the brisk weather outside, which only alerted Etcetera to the fact that she was still currently not inside the den. "Uhm... can I, like... come in?"

"YES!" Rumpleteazer blurted out, the look of shock apparent on her own face at how suddenly those words had left her mouth. She grabbed Etcetera by the arm and began to lead her inside.

Both queens were uncharacteristically quiet as they walked through the main door, moving into a large, open room. Perhaps the most startling quality of this room was that it was shiny – or, rather, filled with a horde of shiny objects. Etcetera suspected that the vast majority of these objects did not belong to Rumpleteazer, but felt it impolite to ask. Whatever the case, shiny things provided some much-needed distraction from their current awkward silence.

Within minutes Etcetera was sat on a warm cushion, a warm drink in her paws and feeling a lot more comfortable than before. "So... this isn't poison, right?" She asked with a small laugh.

"No! I mean, probably no. I made it but y'know I'm not completely sure if I remember making it. It's been one of those days." Rumpleteazer said with a reciprocal laugh.

Etcetera nodded along as though she had a clue what Rumpleteazer was talking about. It all sounded to her like a bunch of riddles, but then she had been asleep for so long that everything still felt a bit weird, like she had not woken up yet. Still caught in that mid-morning haze (despite it being late afternoon), Etcetera could be forgiven for her tired tone. "Is it anything in particular, or..?"

"Hot chocolate!" Rumpleteazer grinned.

"Oh. Is that nice?" Etcetera asked as she looked into the mug. It looked a kind of murky brown. Certainly it _smelled _nice, but she had long since learned that smelling good did not necessarily equal tasting good. Tugger's fur would be a prime example.

"...are you literally joking right now." Rumpleteazer's expression dropped as she cocked her head to the side, half-assuming that Etcetera was kidding. "Hot chocolate is the nicest thing in the whole world."

Etcetera laughed and shook her head. "No, if it was that nice, I'm sure I would've had lots of it by now." She lifted the mug with trepidation, bringing it close to her lips before stopping short. Something did not add up, and the realisation made her incredibly suspicious. She lowered the mug. "How is this hot?" She asked simply, looking square at Rumpleteazer.

"Uhh, because I heated it?" Rumpleteazer nodded.

"No, I mean, I'm late. I'm _really _late. How did you possibly have a hot drink ready for me when you opened the door in like seconds?"

"...magic?" Rumpleteazer asked as she shrugged her shoulders.

Etcetera reached forwards and placed the mug on the table. "I don't think I want to drink that." She quickly got to her feet and glanced at the door. "Maybe coming here was a mistake, this whole thing feels really weird."

Rumpleteazer jumped to her feet as well. "No! You can't go! You just got here! I mean, there's lots of things that I haven't even-"

"No, I'm... I don't like this." Etcetera rubbed her arm awkwardly as she looked up at the door again. "First you rock up in my den last night like it's no big deal, then you say all these things and give me this shiny thing around my neck... then I get all scared about over-sleeping and you don't even mention it and now you've made me something warm even though that's literally impossible-"

"Oh my God." Rumpleteazer said loudly with an exasperated look. "You are really, really, really late and I've literally been doing nothing all day waiting for you. But no, that ain't true, because actually I've been standing in my fucking kitchen making you endless mugs of hot fucking chocolate because I wanted to give you one when you got here because I think you're pretty and I literally told you that already."

The silence that rocketed through the den was brutal.

Etcetera could not conceive of how she could ever feel as bad as she did then. Ungrateful did not cover it. The queen opposite her was seething, clearly starting to get angry just because she felt awkward. That did not seem fair.

But then, from Rumpleteazer's perspective, Etcetera's actions were just plain horrible. Ignoring that she had admitted attraction the night before, turning down the warm drink that had taken all day to make, it hurt.

The long silence finally came to an end when Etcetera spoke. She heaved a sigh and sat down. "This is probably not what you were hoping to hear today, but so long as you keep saying you think I'm pretty, there's something I should tell you." Her serious tone was enough to make Rumpleteazer sit as well.

"I'm kinda weird." Etcetera said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"Okay." Rumpleteazer said as she drew a breath to calm herself down. "Everyone's kinda weird. That's _normal._"

"No, I'm... I obsess over the tiniest things sometimes, and other times I get so scared to talk around cats I've known for years that I don't say anything and then other times I can't stop talking ever."

"...still pretty normal, actually."

"Okay... but I get freaked out by things all the time, like things other people find normal sometimes scare me."

"Like what?" Rumpleteazer asked as she shuffled slightly closer to the other queen.

Etcetera looked up. "Like when someone does something really nice for me and it scares me so I try and run away to hide in my tiny den."

Rumpleteazer smiled as she felt the anger and frustration wash away. "I'm sorry. Maybe I came on a little too strong-"

"No, no, I'm sorry!" Etcetera exclaimed as she jumped up onto her knees, her whole body swiveling to face Rumpleteazer. "I just got scared, that's all! Really I think all these things you've done for me are completely amazing. I don't understand why you keep doing them but-"

"Okay, seriously, stop saying that. I keep telling you that I like you and honestly I'm not sure I can say it anymore times without knowing if you like me back." Rumpleteazer was smirking, but her tone betrayed her expression.

Etcetera, who had been thinking of a roller-coaster of things to say, found herself with a very easy answer. "Well... yeah! I mean, yes. But I mean seriously, I just don't get why you're into me. That's all. I wish you could give me some kinda reason."

"Because your face is good." Rumpleteazer said bluntly with a laugh. "Your face." She started, leaning forward. "Is good, Etcet...trah."

Etcetera let out an uncontrollable laugh at the ridiculous pronunciation of her name, which made Rumpleteazer beam. "Oh, you laughing 'cause I don't talk good? Et...cet...tuh...rer?" Her words only drew another laugh from Etcetera.

"You've just called me so many different things already and none of them are my name!" Etcetera's laughter was vivid and the pure happiness on her face only made the other queen feel warm.

"Fine!" Rumpleteazer poked her tongue out and bopped Etcetera on the nose. "Then, then... you're Et...ty. You're Etty from now on!"

Perhaps it was the ridiculousness of it all, or perhaps it was simply that it felt good to laugh, but Etcetera fell into a set of giggles so hysterical that it became hard for Rumpleteazer not to start laughing as well. She fell into the other queen, shaking her head at the utterly mad failure at saying her name as a few tears fell from her eyes to accompany the laughter. Rumpleteazer simply laughed as well – albeit not quite as dramatically – and fell backwards onto the cushion.

"Oh man..." Etcetera rolled onto her back, her arms spread wide as her chest heaved from heavy breathing. "Etty... oh wow... how do you even... hah!" She started giggling again, her paws quickly lifting to cover her mouth. The tears of laughter had been real as well as cathartic, an expense of energy that made everything feel so much better. "If I'm Etty... then you're Teazy... or Rumpy! Haha! Oh wow! Rumpy-Teazy!"

"Oh, Rumpy-Teazy, am I?" Rumpleteazer rolled onto her knees and folded her arms at the younger queen. "If you're gonna give me a nickname, at least make it better than that. Even Mungo's called me better names, and anyway..." She flashed a grin and wiggled slightly, her body swaying from side-to-side. "...if I'm Rumpy-Teazy, then you're Ettie-Cettie!" With that, she pounced at Etcetera and started tickling her.

The giggles that poured from Etcetera's mouth must have made her sound utterly hysterical. "Stop! Stop!" She yelled, forcing Rumpleteazer to raise her arms in the air. After a moment of catching breath, Etcetera made a loud 'tut' sound and grabbed Rumpleteazer's side, tackling her to the cushion and straddling her waist.

"Rumpy-rump-rump!" Etcetera yelled in-amongst newfound giggles as she mercilessly tickled Rumpleteazer's sides. Her captive practically screamed with laughter as she found herself both unable to move and unable to protect herself. "You fell for that? That's the oldest trick in the book! Now I'm just gonna have to tickle you 'till you pass out, rumpy-rumpus cat!"

"Etty! Cettie! Terrie! Ra-ra!" Rumpleteazer yelped out various attempted nicknames in-between her laughter, before finally managing to grab Etcetera's wrists and hold the other queen's paws to the side. Both queens panted as they stared each other down, their chests heaving as they drew in deep breaths. Tiny giggles managed to escape their lips as they caught their breath, Rumpleteazer's grasp on Etcetera's paws loosening but not letting go. "I... had no idea... you were so strong."

"You let me win." Etcetera said as she stuck out her tongue. Another momentary silence fell upon them as Etcetera became mildly aware of the paws around her wrists. Rumpleteazer's paws were soft and gentle, her hold was nice. This whole thing was just... nice. Etcetera allowed her eyes to wander over Rumpleteazer's body as she breathed a gentle sigh of relief that she felt so safe.

Rumpleteazer bit her lip and glanced at her paws. Was she _still _holding Etcetera's wrists? Yes. What if she tried to tickle her again? Defense was needed. "Seriously, I didn't even. You're so... strong..." She trailed off. There was something about the moments of silence that felt so unique, Rumpleteazer could not explain why the silence seemed to enthrall her, but it probably related to why she did what she did next – with her hold releasing, Rumpleteazer's paws opened up to rest flat against Etcetera's before linking their fingers together.

Both queens stared at each other, silently daring the other to be the first to speak. Etcetera responded almost immediately by closing her fingers as well, and with a moment of silence the queens were holding paws. Still panting from the tickle-fight, with heightened senses and a feeling that they were sharing a 'moment', Etcetera forced herself to be daring and leaned her body forwards. They were suddenly very close, their bodies almost entwined as their faces were only inches apart.

Rumpleteazer closed her eyes.

After a few moments, she became increasingly aware that Etcetera was not kissing her. And after opening her eyes, the other queen looked so overwhelmingly nervous that Rumpleteazer had to stifle a small laugh. "It's okay, y'know." Rumpleteazer grinned. "I ain't gonna bite."

Etcetera felt frozen in time, her mind was willing but her body really did not want to move. It was almost certainly nerves. "I haven't ever really been this close to someone like this before." She admitted, referring to the way their bodies pressed together. "I'm scared."

"Wait, what?" Rumpleteazer squeezed Etcetera's paws. "Seriously? Okay, well, then... close your eyes."

Etcetera bit her lip as she followed the orders. The second her eyes were shut, her paws were released and a pair of arms wrapped tightly around her back. The intimate hug made Etcetera blush as he eyes opened to see the absolute calm on Rumpleteazer's face as they kissed.

Suddenly all of the nerves washed away. Etcetera could not conceive of why this had worried her so much – as far as she could tell, this felt amazing. Her arms began to move almost of their own volition, with her paws slinking to rest underneath Rumpleteazer's head. The kiss was over all too soon, with its brief magic leaving Etcetera speechless.

Rumpleteazer looked up into Etcetera's breathless expression, desperately attempting to decipher her emotions. When that didn't work, she breathed a little sigh and waited for Etcetera's head to catch up with her heart.

Fortunately for both of them, it did not take very long. Etcetera felt a flush turn her face a neat shade of pink before she realised exactly what was going on. "I think I just had my first kiss." She said quietly, which laid a look of shock on Rumpleteazer's face.

"What, really? Seriously?" She responded with surprise, only to give Etcetera a tight squeeze. "That's maybe the cutest thing I've ever heard anyone say in my whole life. You're the most adorable thing... I can't believe I'm your first kiss. That's insane. You totally wasted that memory on me, y'know."

That last line brought a smile to Etcetera's mouth and drew a giggle from her throat. "I still can't believe you like me." She laughed. "Now I'm going to remember you kissing me forever, and that's a lot for you to live up to. Do you think you can handle it?"

"I can try..." Rumpleteazer laughed as her paws slid around Etcetera's body, resting firmly on her shoulders. With a sudden movement she pulled Etcetera closer and brought their lips to meet again, and both queens felt their eyes close as they warmed to the kiss.


End file.
